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Kalākaua I died in 1891 and is regarded as the last king of Hawaii. That is until Ernie Els came along.
The 55-year-old South African restored his place as the ruler in the Aloha State, shooting a final-round 6-under 66 at Hualalai Golf Course to win the season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship on Saturday in Kailua Kona on The Big Island.
“I’ve been trying to get my hands on that trophy for five years now,” Els said. “Came close my very first time and finally got it through the line. But what a battle it was. I can’t imagine a more beautiful place to play golf in and have basically a week’s holiday with a golf tournament. Wonderful week.”
Els has won so many times in Hawaii and on multiple Hawaiian islands that he has lost count.
“I’ve won in the Grand Slam (Kauai) and a couple Sonys (Oahu) and Mercedes Championship (Maui) and here (Big Island),” he said. “I think five events. It’s just a fantastic place to come.”
Els, Golfweek’s Father of the Year in 2024, won his seventh PGA Tour Champions victory with a 54-hole total of 18-under 198, breaking out of the pack to beat Bernhard Langer, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Alex Cejka by two strokes.
“He kept the pressure on me. Lucky for me, I kept making big putts on 15 and 16. Then obviously when Bernhard missed his birdie on 18, my putt was a little easier, so I rolled that one in too. But what a battle,” Els said. “I said to him, kind of ‘What’s wrong with you? At 67? Really?’ You know, he’s just an unbelievable player and it’s such an honor to be able to compete with him still.”
Jimenez, also a three-time champ of this event, closed with a 64, and Cejka shot 68.
“Miguel beat me in the playoff,” Els said of their clash in the 2020 tournament. “He’s won this tournament three times. When he was up at 16 under par, oh, this could be another one of those. Luckily I made those big putts and stayed just ahead of Miguel.”
Last season, Els held the lead in the Charles Schwab Cup going into the final event but Steven Alker slipped by him to win the season-long title. Els was named Champions Tour Player of the Year by the Golf Writers Association of America, but he’d still like to win the Schwab Cup.
He’s off to a flying start thanks to a hot putter.
“Even if you don’t believe in yourself as much, days like this when you make those putts like you used to, it gives you hope again,” Els said. “I want to build on this one and get better and better as the year goes on.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: PGA Tour Champions highlights; Ernie Els wins Mitsubishi Electric
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